Case of Whidbey Island 'terrorists' is a dud, FBI says

A national cable TV news flash yesterday about the arrest of possible terrorists on Whidbey Island sounded explosive:

The FBI and other federal agents were investigating two Middle Eastern men who were arrested in Oak Harbor last Tuesday after police found traces of TNT and plastic explosive in a rental truck they were driving, the Fox News Channel reported.

The officer grew suspicious, however, when one of the men produced only an international driver's license and an expired visa and the other could show no ID at all, Russell said.

And while the men said they were in Oak Harbor only to deliver furniture and were on their way back home to Canada, the officer noted that it was after midnight -- an odd hour for such work.

A bomb-sniffing dog was called in.

According to some reports, the dog indicated that it smelled something interesting in the driver's side of the truck cab, though a search turned up nothing suspicious.

Fox reported that a follow-up test had revealed traces of explosives on the steering wheel and gearshift.

However, a law enforcement source told the Post-Intelligencer that the dog and the first round of tests may have picked up nothing more than residue left by a cigarette lighter.

Border Patrol agents took custody of the two men, who claimed to be Israeli citizens, for investigation of immigration violations.

Garrison Courtney, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, last night said he was uncertain about their status.

Whidbey Island residents have been vigilant about possible terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, largely because of the island's large military base and proximity to the border.

In the weeks after Sept. 11, Island County locals flooded emergency centers with reports of Canadian truckers who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, said Island County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith.

Smith said delivery trucks from British Columbia routinely pass through the island on their way to the ferry slip at Keystone, a short-cut to the Olympic Peninsula.

She said the trucks are inspected at the Canadian border and are presumed safe.

In October, Island County Sgt. Mike Beech said the reaction "just shows the effect of Sept. 11.

They may have seen that truck or trucker get off the ferry every day -- but now they are more aware of it."